What if
by Dark Mage 13-2
Summary: What if Sora didn't send Kairi back to Destiny Islands, but rather take her with him? A weirdly messed up time line occurs. Kairi takes up the Keyblade earlier, Naminé required Kairi's assistance to restore Sora's memory, and Kairi gets to see the worlds with Sora. Mostly follows Kingdom Hearts II.
1. Prologue I

**Rating: K+ or E10+ because that's how the game is rated, ya?**

**Genre: Adventure/Fantasy/Humor/Romance/Friendship**

**Warnings: If you've already played the game, you know what to expect mostly, if you haven't, then MAJOR Spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.**

**Prologue I**

**_End I_**

_Kingdom Hearts_

"Kairi!" Sora called to her as he ran towards her. He stopped in front of her.

"Sora," she said in response. She didn't notice that she was standing on a fragment of Destiny Islands. Suddenly, the fragment started to move.

"Ah!" Kairi nearly fell over the edge, but Sora was a quick thinker and caught the red head in his arms, pulling her off the island. Unfortunately, her weight was too much for him, and he toppled over. The end result was Kairi on top of Sora, nose to nose. How very cliché.

In the back, Donald and Goofy were watching the scene unfold before them, and they both snickered.

"Kairi…" Sora whispered.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Sora," Kairi got off the brunette boy and helped him to his feet.

Sora still held Kairi's hands in his own. "Kairi, Riku he…"

"I know. I saw. Did he tell you anything?" she stared into his sapphire blue eyes.

_"Take care of her."_

"Um… he said to…" Sora suddenly realized how close they were. Just a little closer and…

"Hey!"

The two young teens turned around towards the source of the voice. It was Donald and Goofy.

"We've gotta find The King and Riku!" Donald shouted.

"Yeah! We've gotta to get movin'!" Goofy added.

Sora grinned at Kairi, still holding her hand. "Well Kairi? You up for an adventure?"

Kairi giggled. "Only if I get to fight."

**_Beginning CoM_**

_Chain of Memories_

Sora woke up in the middle of the night in a grass field. His two companions, Donald and Goofy, and his best friend, Kairi, all slept nearby him. The boy grinned and quietly got up to take a night stroll. He walked up the dirt path until the path leveled from the hill, an uneasy feeling tugging at his heart.

He continued walking until the path split in two, the uneasy feeling still nagging him, like he was being drawn somewhere.

"Along the road ahead, lies something you need," a voice behind Sora spoke. Sora turned only to see nothing. He looked around for the source of the voice, only to realize the voice was right behind him. Sora quickly turned around to see a tall man in a black coat, with his face shrouded by his hood. "However, in order to claim it, you must lose something in return," The man disappeared, and Sora decided to follow the man.

Soon, Sora came across a giant castle that oddly looked familiar to him for some reason.

"Sora!"

Said boy looked behind him to see Kairi, Donald and Goofy running up to him.

"Where were you?!" Donald demanded.

"Um… here?" Sora answered, uncertain.

"Uh, what is this place?" asked Goofy.

Kairi stared at the huge castle. "I dunno. But this place gives me the creeps."

Sora looked back at the front doors. "Hmm… It wouldn't hurt to take a look," He then proceeded to push open one of the large doors until it was wide enough to slip in. "Hopefully, I'm not going to forget something."

**_End CoM_**

"Goodbye," Naminé said to Sora.

"No, not goodbye. When I wake up, I'll find you, and then there will be no lies. We're going to be friends for real. Promise me, Naminé," said Sora.

"You're going to forget making that promise,"

"If the chain of memories comes apart, the links will still be there right? So the memory of our promise will still be inside me somewhere. I'm sure of it,"

"Yeah you're right. Okay, it's a promise,"

"Good. Until later," the two made a pinky promise, as if they were little kids. Sora hopped into the pod, where he would be sleeping for a while.

"A promise? Huh. Sora, some of your memories' links are deep in the shadows of your heart. And I won't be able to find them. But don't worry, you made another promise to someone who you could never replace," Naminé watched as the pod closed around Sora. "She is your light, the light within the darkness. Remember her, and all the memories lost in the shadows in your heart, will come into the light,"

"Another promise,"

"Look at the good luck charm. I changed its shape when I changed your memory. When you thought of her just once, it went back to the way it was,"

Sora pulled out the charm. The pod closed completely. Sora was still holding the charm, trying to remember the girl that Naminé was taking about. With her help, Sora remembered as he fell into a peaceful sleep.

"Kairi" he said sleepily.

Outside the pod, Kairi walked up towards Naminé, free from hiding. "Who's in there?" she asked the blonde.

"Someone very important to you," Naminé responded sadly.

"Riku?"

Naminé shook her head. "No. Someone you knew a long time ago. He remembers you, but you don't remember him."

Kairi looked down at her shoes. "He's faint in my memory, but I can't place the face, voice, or name," a single tear fell onto her cheek. "I feel awful about it."

"Don't. It's my entire fault you can't remember," Naminé admitted. "I ripped apart his memories, causing him to forget everyone, and everyone forgetting him completely."

Kairi looked at the shameful blonde. "Do you need help fixing it?"

Naminé brightened up. "Actually, I do need assistance."

"What?"

"Remember him,"

**_Mid 358_**

_358/2 Days_

No. XIII Roxas had just finished up his mission in Twilight Town. He was on his way back to the Castle when he saw a mysterious figure walk into the crack in the wall that led to the woods.

Being curious, he followed the figure into the woods. The figure went into the gate at the mansion, which Roxas always thought was locked. He finally got a close enough look to see that the figure was a girl around his age, had semi-short red hair and a striking resemblance tosomeone he knew. Just who was she?

-ii

**_Well, I started this in 2012, but now I'm getting back into it, I've decided to post it._**

**_However, I'm pretty mad right now at this site because someone plagiarized me and took my works from my DA page and posted them on here, . If you want to know who the culprit is, PM me._**

**_The rules I've laid out for this story, is quite easy. Each world will only have one chapter each visit, save for a couple. Twilight Town will get two per visit, Hollow Bastion Second Visit will get three, filler worlds such as Atlantica and Pooh's Storybook will be put in, but not until much, much later, mostly likely when I get bored. _**

**_The World That Never Was is a very special case, as a ton of events happen and whatnot. So I don't know how long that place is going to last. The events at first follow the original KHII storyline, but I put in a major plot twist at Hollow Bastion Second Visit._**

**_I might write Roxas' story, being that since the ending to the first game being messed up, everything in Days would have changed. However, if Xion fans come looking for an altered storyline with her in it, well then, hate to disappoint you, but she's not going to be in it. I apologize, but I had this tiny idea and question in the back of my head since I finished KHII about six years ago. I'mstickin to what I know from KHI, CoM, and KHII. No influence from Days, BBS, DDD, or Coded._**

**_But in short, this is going to be a wild ride, and a long story. ;)_**


	2. Prologue II

**Prologue II**

**_Returning Memories_**

_kingdom hearts ii _

Kairi has certainly grown over the past year. Her maroon red hair has grown to touch her shoulders. Her body has matured quite a bit, and her personality has matured a good deal too. Her clothes have gotten tight, but King Mickey said she would receive new clothing soon. Kairi's shoes no longer could stand her seven sized feet, so she went bare foot around the mansion. Risky, but what else could she do?

Naminé has also reflected Kairi's growth, but her clothes seemed to fit perfectly around her curved body. The only difference between her dress sizes now is that it now just went half way down her thigh, whereas back a year ago, it went down to just above her knees.

Right now, Naminé snuck out the mansion for some "business" to attend to. Kairi currently sat in a white chair in the White Room in the Mansion. The fifteen year-old felt self-conscious in her out-grown clothes.

A figure clad in black appeared in the room, his face hidden in his hood of his coat.

"Riku…" Kairi spoke to the dark figure. "Will I ever remember whoever I'm supposed to remember?"

Riku spoke in a deep, older voice. "I can help, if you let me."

"Please!" Kairi pleaded. "It hurts in my heart not knowing!" At that moment, Kairi collapsed and fell out of the chair.

"Kairi!" Riku or Ansem ran over to her, checking for her pulse.

Roxas sat on the clock tower, holding the Struggle Trophy with the four crystals on it. He took each one off of it and handed them to Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Roxas kept the last crystal for himself. He held it out so he could see the sunset shine into it, making it very beautiful.

"Thanks Roxas!" said Hayner

"Yeah, thanks!" added Pence.

"It was nothing,"

"I have something too, for all of us," Olette pulled out four sea-salt ice-creams.

Roxas suddenly stood up, slightly surprised. He quickly lost his footing and started to fall off the clock tower.

_'It's so high up.' _the teen thought. _'Am I gonna die? That's strange. I'm not hitting the ground… What's going on?"_ he drifted into unconsciousness. _'Naminé?'_

Naminé, what's happening to me?

_Who are you? And that's not my name. I'm Kairi._

Kairi… I know you. You're that girl he likes.

_Who? Please, a name!_

I'm Roxas.

_Okay, Roxas, But could you tell HIS name?_

**You don't remember my name? Thanks a lot, Kairi!**

_Huh?_

**O-kay, I guess I can give you a hint. Starts with an "S"!**

Kairi soon regained consciousness. Ansem was leaning over her to see if she was okay.

"Are you okay?" Ansem asked.

"I'm fine, Riku," she slowly got up, trying to remember what just happened. _'Starts with an "S"?' _ The red head grabbed a piece of paper with writing on it from the table.

"What's that?" questioned Ansem.

"A letter to the one I can't remember. I wrote it yesterday. But when I stopped writing, I remembered that we made a promise. Something important," Kairi explained.

Ansem chuckled. "Are you remembering now, Kairi?"

Kairi nodded.

"I have to leave now, but before I do…" he took out a flowery Keyblade that reminded Kairi of Destiny Islands. He hands the Keyblade out to her. "Take it, you'll need it."

Kairi took the Keyblade into her right hand. "But Riku-"

Ansem swiftly disappeared in a black cloud before she could get in another word.

Saddened, Kairi stared out the window, still holding the Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace in her hand. "Starts with an "S". Right? Sora?"

Kairi was told by DiZ to go down into the basement of the Mansion. She slowly made her way down to the computer room and went into a pod room, where she saw two unlikely figures sleeping.

"Goofy? Donald?" Kairi said as she walked down the pod hallway. Before she could open the door at the end, her head started spinning, and soon, she leaned against the wall and passed out.

Roxas and Naminé stood side by side in front of Sora's pod where he sleeps. Sadness filled Roxas as he realized the truth; he had to go back to Sora.

"I'll see you again," Naminé said softly.

Roxas turned to her. "What?"

"I'm a part of Kairi just as you are a part of Sora," Naminé smiled. "I will see you when he wakes up."

Roxas smiled in return, before holding up his hand and saw that he could see right through it. Then he saw Naminé fading as well. "Sora, you're lucky. Looks like my summer vacation is… over."


	3. 01 - Twilight Town One

**01: Awakening**

**_Kingdom Hearts II_**

"Sora?" A mysterious voice called out to him. It sounded a lot like…him.

"Who's there?" Sora responded.

"Sora!" a more familiar voice called.

"Sora, wake up!" another voice said.

Sora opened his eyes to see he was in a giant white pod. _'Wha…How did I get here?' _the boy thought. The pod then slowly opened to show Donald and Goofy waiting for him. Sora yawned and stretched his arms and legs before he hopped out. Due to his legs not being used in almost a year, he nearly fell over, but was caught by his two friends. "Donald! Goofy!" The boy stood up and hopped up and down like a ten year-old. He stopped when Jiminy Cricket popped out of the hood of his jacket.

"That was some nap!" exclaimed Jiminy. He jumped to the floor.

Sora raised an eyebrow. "You mean, we were asleep?"

"I guess we musta been, or I don't think we'd be so drowsy…"

"When do ya think we went to sleep?" Goofy asked.

"Uhh…" Donald shrugged. Then he remembered something. "Wak! We've gotta wake one more person up!"

"Oh yeah!" Goofy added. He and Donald pulled Sora towards the door.

"Where are we going guys?" Sora questioned the two.

"Oh, you'll see," Donald said.

When the three reached the door, Sora was pushed into the other room. The first sight he saw was Kairi sleeping against the wall. "Kairi!" Sora ran over to her. "Come on Kairi. Wake up," he gently shook her by the shoulders, but the girl didn't wake up. Sora then thought of something like Sleeping Beauty. He then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

Kairi's eyes slowly opened. "Sora…?" she gradually got up from the floor to look over Sora.

His hair was no longer chocolate brown, but more of a caramel color. His skin was paler and his face was more heart-shaped. He also has grown a good deal too, but Kairi had a major growth squirt, so the two were the same height. The only thing that didn't change was his sapphire eyes.

Sora blushed as soon as he saw how much Kairi has changed. Her hair was longer, her body became curvier, and her face filled out a little. Once again, her indigo eyes were the only thing that didn't change.

Kairi pulled Sora into a tight hug. "I missed you."

"I didn't know I was gone," Sora replied, earning a giggle from the red head.

"Ahem,"

The two broke apart from their embrace when they realized they had an audience.

"We've gotta remember when we went to sleep!" Donald said impatiently.

"Okay, don't get your feathers in a bunch," Kairi said.

"Let's see…" Sora began. "We defeated Ansem…"

"Yep," Goofy assured.

"Restored peace to the world… Found Kairi…" Sora gestured to the red head, who smiled. "Oh yeah, and then we went to look for Riku. I think that's right so far?"

"Then what?" asked Donald.

Sora crossed his arms as he tried to remember.

Kairi turned to Jiminy Cricket. "What does your journal say, Jiminy?"

Jiminy pulled out his journal and read through it. "Gee, there's only one sentence. 'Thank Naminé'. I wonder who that is."

"Naminé? I've meet her once," Kairi explained.

"Really?" said Goofy.

"Yeah, but she disappeared. I have no idea where she is,"

"Oh," sighed Donald.

"Well, what do ya say we find out where we are?!" Jiminy exclaimed. Sora nodded, and Jiminy jumped back into Sora's hood.

Sora, Kairi, Donald and Goofy all left the mansion and walked through the town. Soon, they came across a back alley and wondered what was back there. Curiosity got to the best of them. Sora stopped in front of the door, a baffled look on his face.

"What is it, Sora?" Kairi asked.

"You know, I think I've been to this town," Sora answered.

"What's it called?"

"Hmm…Guess I must've imagined it," Sora continued walking in.

Behind the cloth, there were three teenagers sitting around, a bored expression on their faces.

"What do you want?!" one of them said rudely.

Sora held his hands up. "Uh, nothing. Just wondering what was back here."

"Now you know. This is our spot," the rude boy said.

Another boy walked up to the four, examining them. "Umm…"

"What?" Kairi said.

"You're…new around here, right? I'm Pence," the nicer boy said.

The rude boy walked up to them. "Hayner. Nice to meet you, but we've got stuff to do, so catch ya later," Hayner strode past the four of them.

Pence shook his head.

"My name's Olette," a girl standing next to Pence said. "Hey, did you finish up the summer homework yet? Independent studies are the worst, huh?"

"Homework?" Sora and Kairi said in unison. They turned to Donald and Goofy, who shrugged.

"Hey, what are your names?" Pence asked.

"Oh sorry," said Goofy. "We're Sora, Kairi, Donald and Goofy," he gestured.

"Hi," said Kairi.

Pence and Olette looked at each other in surprise. Olette then turned to the four. "Sora, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, we just met someone who was looking for you."

"He sure seemed in a hurry," Pence added. "He had a black coat on so I couldn't see his face."

_'Riku?' _thought Kairi.

"But he had these big round ears," continued Pence.

"The King!" exclaimed Kairi. Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded.

"Where'd you see him?" questioned Sora.

"At the station," Pence answered.

"The station! Thanks!" Kairi said.

"Well, we'd better get back to that assignment," Olette sighed.

Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy quickly left for the station. The four ran up the hill in Station Heights, which really wasn't the best idea. The four was tired by the time they reached the station.

"Why didn't we walk up the hill?" Kairi asked, panting.

"I don't know," Sora responded.

Unfortunately, white creatures suddenly appeared and surrounded the four. Sora somehow knew that these creatures were hostile, and were after him. He summoned his Keyblade, the Kingdom Key. "Kairi, stay close to me."

Kairi nodded and stood in a defensive position. Even though she had her own Keyblade, she didn't know how to fight with it yet.

The white creatures attacked and Sora leaped into action. He held the Keyblade with two hands and landed single blows on his enemies. Donald was casting Thunder spells until he ran out of magic, then he would help Goofy attack other creatures.

Kairi felt useless not knowing how to fight with her own weapon, but she tried to heal the gang with whatever she had.

Sora started to feel physical ache. Every time he destroyed a white creature, at least two more would pop up. He remembered that most of his abilities were gone. Pretty soon, the group became too tired to fight anymore, and they sat on the ground in exhaustion. Kairi was trying to help them to their feet, but the creatures knocked her off her feet. The creatures were about to strike when something small and black wiped one out with a single blow. The tiny person then destroyed all the white creatures in some swift, fluid movements. He held out his Keyblade, the Kingdom Key D, to let Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy know who he was.

Sora and Kairi stared in awe at the Keyblade and skill the small person showed.

Donald and Goofy's jaws dropped. "Your Majesty?" called out Donald.

"Shh! You gotta board the train and leave town! The train knows the way," the King said in a whisper. He moved towards Sora and held out an orange pouch with munny inside. "Here."

Sora took the pouch and looked at it for a second, before watching the King run away.

"Your Majesty…" Donald shouted.

"The King…Was that really him?" Sora asked.

"Yes it was. I wonder why he was in such a hurry," Kairi pondered.

Sora thought for a moment. "The King was locked in the realm of darkness, right?"

"Uh huh," said Goofy.

"But we just saw him…"

"Yep!" assured Donald.

"And if the King is here, that means Riku's here!"

"He's gotta be!" added Kairi. "We'd better go look for Riku, so we all can go back home together."

Sora gave her an assuring smile. "Yeah. Home…" the boy snapped out of his reverie. "What are you two gonna do?" he asked Donald and Goofy.

Donald and Goofy had a look on their faces. "Gawrsh, Sora. Do ya have to ask?" Goofy said annoyed.

Kairi and Sora busted out giggling.

"Hey! What's so funny?!" Donald hopped up and down angrily.

"Your face!" Kairi pointed out.

Goofy and Donald looked at each other and saw their annoyed faces, causing them to laugh.

Sora calmed down quickly. "What do you say, guys? Let's stick together for one more journey."

His three friends nodded in agreement. Kairi grinned. "Maybe you can show me the worlds you've been to, Sora."

"I can and I will. Are you up to it, Kairi?" Sora asked.

"Yeah! I'm totally up to it!" Kairi said in triumph.

"To…where again?" Sora said, putting his hands behind his head.

"We hafta board the train!" Goofy reminded.

"Oh yeah,"

Kairi and Donald both sighed, shaking their heads.

The four of them walked inside the train station, and got their tickets. The train was purple and had stars all over it. Something told Sora that this was their train. Hayner, Pence, and Olette came to see them off.

Sora was saying good bye to them, when a single tear fell uncontrollably. He had no idea where it came from, but he pushed it aside.

"You okay?" asked Olette.

"Y-yeah. Don't know where it came from. Pull it together," Sora wiped away the tear. "Right…See ya." He climbed onto the train. The door closed, and left the station.

As the train traveled on the track, a bright light flashed outside, and the train was no longer in Twilight Town, but in a new, strange place. Soon, the train stopped at a floating piece of land with a tall tower on it. Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy got off, but as soon as they did, the train vanished in a bright light.

"Heh, Heh. There goes our ride…" Sora laughed nervously.

"Who's that at the door?" Kairi pointed out. A big, tall figure was in fact peering through the door.

The four of them went up to the front steps to investigate.

"What's going on?" Donald asked the unknown figure.

The figure laughed. "I sent some of my lackeys inside to see if the master of this here tower's as big and tough as they say," the figure spoke in a loud and obnoxious voice. "Word is, he's a powerful sorcerer. Which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me. See, it don't matter how tough he is-once he's a Heartless, he'll do as I say!"

"A Heartless?" Kairi exclaimed.

"That's right. They're those things that come outta the darkness in folks' hearts. Why, with all those Heartless at her side, my dear friend Maleficent is gonna conquer everything! And since I got me a debt to pay, I'm goin' 'round to a bunch of different worlds and buildin' an army of Heartless, special for her.

"Why am I talkin' to you pipsqueaks, anyway? Go on, scram! I'm behind schedule as it is,"

"You gotta find something nicer to do," Goofy said.

"Says who?" the figure turned around to find a nasty surprise, his old enemies. "Wha…AAAH! It's you!"

"Pete!" Donald and Goofy said in unison. Sora and Kairi looked at each other in confusion.

"What are you two nimrods doin' here!?" Pete stomped his feet.

"What are YOU doing here?" Donald spat.

"You know him?" asked Sora.

"We sure do! Pete's been causin' trouble for ages!" Goofy answered. "His Majesty banished him to another dimension a long time ago. I wonder how he escaped."

Pete chuckled. "You wanna know how, eh? Well, Maleficent busted me out, that's how! And now your world-no, no, no, all the worlds-are gonna belong to yours truly. Cause Maleficent's gonna help me conquer 'em!

"Maleficent…Huh?" Sora said, smirking. He and his three friends snickered.

"What are you laughing at!?" Pete demanded. "Why Maleficent's power is so great-"

"She's toast," Sora said.

"Huh?"

"Sorry, but Maleficent can't help you now," Kairi informed.

"Whaddaya mean!?" Pete shook his fists in anger. Then it clicked. "You! So you're the ones that did it!"

"Well…" Sora puts his hands behind his head. "We mighta had something to do with it."

Kairi giggled.

Pete was so furious, that if it was a cartoon, steam would've come out of his ears. "Heartless Squad! Round up!" he called out.

Shadow Heartless started appearing from the ground. Sora, Donald, and Goofy summoned their weapons while Kairi got behind Sora, ready to defend herself. The Heartless attacked, and since Shadows were one of the weakest Heartless, they were easier to get rid of. Kairi even kicked the Heartless away with her bare foot. Not a single scratch could be found on any of the four friends.

When the last Cyclone Heartless was gone, Pete stomped his feet in anger. "You just wait! Nobody, and I do mean nobody, messes with the mighty Pete!"

"So "mighty" Pete," Sora mocked. "Who lives in this tower anyway?"

"Oh ya don't know, eh? Well, it's old Yen Sid. 'Course he's probably a Heartless by now!"

Donald did a double take. "Master Yen Sid lives here!?" the duck quickly went up the stairs and slipped into the tower.

"Yen Sid is the King's teacher," Goofy explained to the baffled Sora and Kairi.

"Wow. Sounds powerful!" Sora said in awe.

Kairi looked at the tower. "I wonder if he'll help me…" she ran off into the tower.

"Help with what? Kairi!" Sora shouted after her.

"You'll have to catch me first!" Kairi laughed.

The four reached the top of the tower to see an old wizard sitting at his desk. This wizard was Yen Sid.

Donald and Goofy bowed to the wizard while Kairi gave a small wave and Sora gave a casual "Hey there,"

"Sora! Kairi! Show some respect!" Donald reprimanded the two teens.

Yen Sid gave a wave of dismissal. "So, you are Sora and Kairi. Now then, have you seen the King yet?"

"Yes, we did Master. But we didn't get a chance to talk to him," Goofy explained.

"Yes…the King has been quite busy of late," Yen Sid assured. "Therefore, it would seem that the task of instructing you four falls upon my shoulders. You have a perilous journey ahead of you. You must be well prepared."

"You mean…we have to go on another quest?" Sora asked sadly.

"We were looking forward to finding our friend Riku, so we can go back to the islands together," Kairi said, disappointed.

"Yes, I know," Yen Sid said. "However, everything in your journey is connected. Whether you will find your way home to the islands… Whether you two return home alone, or with your friend. And, whether or not the islands will still be there.

"And the key that connects them all is you, Sora,"

"I'm… the key?" Sora said nervously. He held out his hand and the Keyblade appeared in a flash of light.

"Chosen wielder of the Keyblade. You are the key that will open the door to light," informed Yen Sid.

Sora nodded.

Yen Sid waved his hand and a book appeared in thin air. The pages opened up to the beginning. "This book contains valuable knowledge you will need for your journey. Study it carefully. Once you have finished, we will speak of the enemies you will surely confront."

Sora and Kairi read over the book thoroughly. Once they reached the end, they still had questions.

"But wait a sec-how come the Heartless are still running around?" Sora questioned.

Yen Sid explained. "Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness; make no mistake about that. However, the Heartless are darkness made real—and darkness yet lingers in every heart. The Heartless are fewer. But while darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them."

Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy all sighed.

"Gawrsh, that must mean…if everybody's heart was full of light, then Heartless'd go away!" Goofy realized.

Yen Sid nodded. "Now it is time to speak of the enemies that you will encounter," he waved his hand and a hologram of Donald appeared. The hologram showed Donald turning into a Shadow Heartless."If one such as you, Donald, yields to the darkness in their heart, they too will become a Heartless. But you know this."

"Oh," Donald said, relieved.

"The Heartless are always lurking and ever seeking to capture new hearts. Never let your guard down!" Yen Sid told them. "Now then…" he waved his hand and a hologram of a white creature appeared next to the Heartless. "At times, if someone with a strong heart and will—be they evil or good—becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own," the Heartless hologram disappeared. "An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away… A spirit that goes on even as its body fades from existence—for you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all. Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse—they only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived!"

"Nobodies… They don't exist…" Sora repeated.

Three new holograms appeared, showing more Nobodies of the same type. "Now then…" continued Yen Sid. "The being you see before you is known as a Dusk. They are the most common form of Nobody. But there are others—some larger, some with frightening and unique powers. Be vigilant!

"On your journey, you will meet an alarming number of Dusks. They will all attempt to do you harm," the holograms vanished. "Still, they are nothing but empty shells, destined to returned to darkness. But—" another three holograms appeared, showing beings wearing a black coat. "The beings you see before you now are different. These powerful Nobodies have formed a group called Organization XIII. It commands the lesser Nobodies."

Strangely, Organization XIII sounded familiar to Sora. "Organization XIII…"

"While Heartless act on instinct, Nobodies function in a higher manner. They can think, and plan. And it seems they are working towards a goal," Yen Sid explained. "What that goal is, we do not know. The King sensed the danger, and journeyed forth to fight it. He found the dark realm's Keyblade, and with it, closed the door. Now he's traveling from world to world, fighting the Heartless as he seeks the answer to the riddle of the Nobodies and Organization XIII."

The holograms were gone.

"Then I guess we'd better go find the King first," Sora said.

"Now wait…" Yen Sid stopped them.

Sora, Donald and Goofy sighed.

"Kairi, I believe the King has informed me that you received something before he left, correct?"

Kairi nodded.

"Would you please show me it?" Yen Sid asked.

Kairi took out a keychain in the shape of a wildflower. She held it out, and in a flash of light, Destiny's Embrace appeared.

Sora's jaw dropped to the floor. "A…A Keyblade?"

Donald and Goofy were just as shocked.

"A new Keyblade wielder; one that needs training. Sora needs you on his journey, so under the circumstances, he will help you with using the Keyblade," Yen Sid told Kairi. "It is best to learn how to defend yourself than rely on others."

"Yes, it is best," said Kairi.

"So, before you go, you two will need more suitable traveling clothes. Those look a bit too small for you." Yen Sid pointed out.

Sora and Kairi looked at their own clothes.

"Through there," Yen Sid pointed towards a door. "…you'll find three good fairies. If you ask, they'll create for you appropriate garments."

"Gawrsh, you two sure are growing fast!" Goofy pointed out.

"Uhh… I guess," said Sora.

"You guess?" Kairi said.

Sora blushed. "Heh…"

The four of them were inside the room. The three fairies were chatting quietly, until the red fairy, Flora noticed the visitors. "Well, look who's here, dears! Sora, Kairi, Donald and Goofy. What is it that you need?" Flora asked.

"Umm…" Sora began.

"We need new clothes," Kairi finished.

"Ooh, if you're looking for clothes, you've come to the right place!" said Merryweather, the blue fairy.

"I'll do the designing," added Fauna, the green fairy.

Flora and Merryweather pulled Sora away so they could do his clothes first. Kairi giggled at the sight of Sora being pushed around by fairies.

Fauna turned Sora's outfit green.

"Oh, that will never do!" Merryweather exclaimed. She turned the outfit blue.

"Now now dears," Flora said. She then turned Sora's outfit red.

It continued like that for at least a minute. Green, blue, red, rinse and repeat.

"Aww, would you just decide?" Sora pleaded.

"All right then, dears. Together now," said Flora. "…and no more squabbling."

The three good fairies raised their wands together, and shot a light at Sora. His entire outfit shined until it changed completely. His new outfit was black and silver, has many zippers, and extra legging. The one thing he retains is his silver crown necklace. His white, fingerless gloves were now black, and his shoes were more black than yellow.

Kairi found herself thinking that Sora was quite attractive in his new outfit. "Wow…"

"Yes! It's perfect!" Flora exclaimed.

"I love it!" Fauna commented.

Sora looked over himself, very pleased.

"Sora, can you step back now for Kairi?" Merryweather asked.

"Sure," Sora stepped out of the way, while Kairi stepped forward.

"Once again dears," said Flora. The fairies raised their wands again and shot a light at Kairi. Her old outfit changed into a white halter top with a pink mini dress with three zippers, two of which are just decorative. Kairi's yellow band was replaced with three bracelets, each one white, black, and blue. A book bag was attached to her pink mini dress, and she wore shorts underneath so it's suitable for battle. Her bare feet now were covered by purple sneakers with black laces. The one thing she retained was her pearl necklace, which she had since she was four.

Now it was Sora's turn to think she was attractive. "Wow Kairi…"

"You look beautiful!" said Fauna.

"Very beautiful!" Merryweather added.

Kairi turned to Sora and smiled. Sora walked up next to her.

"Now those aren't ordinary garments," said Flora.

"They have very special powers," Fauna continued.

Flora created a yellow swirling orb from her wand. "Take the orb dears,"

Sora and Kairi reached and the orb split in two, absorbing in their hands.

"And watch what happens," Merryweather said.

All of a sudden, a burst of power and physical strength surged through the two teenagers. Their outfits shined, releasing a powerful shock wave. When the light subsided, Sora and Kairi's outfits were now red, and Sora was wielding not one, but two Keyblades. He had Kingdom Key in one hand and Star Seeker in the other.

"Wow!" Donald said in awe.

"Two Keyblades!" Goofy gasped.

"This journey's gonna be twice as difficult as the last," informed Merryweather.

Sora sighed. _'Why do things have to be so hard?'_

"Your garments also have other powers—but you will have to discover what they are as you continue on your journey," Flora explained.

"Okay. We'll do our best," Sora assured.

"Thanks lot for the clothes," Kairi added.

"Good luck!" the three good fairies said in unison.


End file.
